While the holidays can be one of the most fun times of the year, most of us will admit it also requires a lot of energy. From traveling long distances to visit relatives, to wading through crowds and long lines at the store, there’s a lot to do during the holidays that can leave us feeling drained if we’re not careful. The good thing is that practicing healthy sleep habits is an easy way to keep spirits bright no matter what the holidays throw at you. Here are four ways that a good night’s sleep helps you survive the holidays.

It’s a situation we all hope to never be in, but there may come a time where you find yourself waiting with a loved one in the hospital while they recover (whether it’s for a shorter period or long-term). If you do take on this responsibility, one thing you’ll definitely need is sleep. Good sleep keeps you more positive, more alert, and keeps your immune system working like it’s supposed to, which are all important qualities when you’re supporting someone in the hospital. Unfortunately, a hospital is far from home, and getting healthy sleep can be difficult in such an unfamiliar (and uncomfortable) environment, for both you and your recovering loved one.

Here are our tips for getting the best sleep possible during overnights in the hospital:

If you’re like many people, your busy life probably keeps you going until you hit the pillow. And if you are like many people, your head hitting the pillow doesn’t mean your mind stops racing—in fact, often the opposite is true. Somehow the moment you decide to get some rest, you recall that you forgot to make lunches for the kids, and Christmas is coming up fast, and you have got to put new tile down in the kitchen, and you should probably figure out retirement right now before it gets too late…

If this describes you, you've probably been struggling to figure out how the heck you can get some sleep when you're dealing with all this stress; what’s probably missing from your busy life is a moment of mental deceleration before bed. You wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) finish up vigorous exercise without a good cool down, right? The same principle is working in mental deceleration. Your mind needs

Unless you happen to be living on a far-off island all by yourself, without phone or television, living off a simple diet of coconut water and local vegetation, chances are you know of at least one thing that’s causing you to worry right now. If you’re like most people in today’s fast-paced world, there is a whole slew of things causing you to be concerned every day.

Where stress really hits us is our sleep. High stress means poor quality sleep, and poor sleep does no good for our stresses. This cycle continues to build up on itself, stirring up a hurricane of stress with you right at the center.